As the bedlam died down, as the Stadium stopped shaking, as the fans began processing the latest thunderclap in the Bronx, Aaron Judge marched to the other side of the dugout. He sought out the longest-tenured Yankee, Brett Gardner.

Judge had just homered to Monument Park in the wild eighth inning on Wednesday night, providing the exclamation point to a 9-6 comeback against the Red Sox. But it was Gardner who pushed the Yankees ahead with a clutch two-run triple, offering a reminder of his standing on this team despite a horrendous slump to start the season.

“I just had to tell him good job,” said Judge, who patted Gardner on the shoulder as the rest of the inning played out.

Gardner will be 35 before season’s end. And in the Yankees’ constellation of stars, he stands somewhere on the outer edge. It’s always been this way here. Yet, he has been an underrated and understated staple of the franchise, a de facto captain. Aaron Boone called him a...